Dumping construction



Aug. 20, 1968 w 5, KELLY ET AL DUMPING CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 16, 1966 Aug. 20, 1968 w. s. KELLY ETAL DUMPING CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 16, 1966 5 a fixdm r e a V eM G n ma Z: 4 F444 m N/A United States Patent 3,397,813 DUMPING CONSTRUCTION William S. Kelly, Richland, and Fred M. Weidling, Kirkland, Wash., and Richard A. Hemphill, Los Alamos, N. Mex., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the United States Atomic Energy Commission Filed Dec. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 602,423 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-55) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Dumping door through which fluid may be dumped from a vessel. The dumping door is held closed against the vessel by two diametrally opposed breakaway hinges both of which will normally be released on signal to disconnect door from vessel for dumping of fluid. However, it is suflicient for dumping that only one of the two hinges be released. An element of safety is provided in that it is more probable that one of two hinges will be released than that both hinges will be released.

This invention relates to a dumping construction. More specifically, the invention relates to a dumping construction that operates with the safety of two dumping doors and yet saves on space by operating with only a single dumping door.

In certain installations such as nuclear reactors, dumping of fluid must occur with great certainty or probability. The practice has been to employ two dumping doors, for the probability that one of two dumping doors will open on signal is greater than the probability that a single door will open. Yet two dumping doors take up a great amount of space.

We have solved the problem of providing a single dumping door operating with the probability of opening equal to that of one of two dumping doors.

According to the present invention, a single dumping door is attached to a hollow body to be dumped, by means of two breakaway hinges. If the dumping construction operates as intended, there will be a breakaway of the door from both hinges. If, however, only one hinge breaks away, the door moves open for dumping by pivoting about the other hinge.

FIG. 1 is a plan view, with parts broken away in section, of the dumping assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the assembly;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 1, the reference character designates a hollow body in the form of a cylinder of circular shape, adapted to contain a fluid to be quickly dumped. One end of the hollow body 10 is closed by a circular dumping door 11, which is held against the body 10 by a pair of releasable hinges 12 and 13. The hinges are located in diametrally opposed positions on the hollow body 10 and are connected to the ends of a channel 14, which is connected to the door 11 in spaced relation thereto so as to extend diametrally thereacross. When the fluid is to be dumped from the hollow body 10, releasing operations are performed on both hinges 12 and 13. If both hinges are released, the door 11 is moved by the pressure of the fluid in the body 10 to the brokenline position. If only the hinge 12 is released, the door 11 swings open clockwise about the hinge 13, as indicated by the fragment of the channel 14 in broken lines at the upper right end of FIG. 1. If only the hinge 13 is reice leased, the door 11 swings open counterclockwise about the hinge 12, as indicated by the fragment of the channel 14 in broken lines at the lower right end of FIG. 1.

The channel 14 has a base 14a and two sides 14b whose ends extend beyond the ends of the base 14a. The channel 14 is connected to the door 11 by a bolt 15 and a nut 16. The bolt 15 extends through the door 11 and the channel base 14a and has threaded engagement with the nut 16, which is secured to the channel base 14a. The bolt 15 has at one end an enlarged head 17 located at the inner side of the door 11. The opposite end of the bolt 15 is polygonally shaped as indicated at 18 for manipulation by a wrench. A cap 19, welded to the door 11 over the bolt head 17, retains bolt head 17 against the door 11 and closes the opening in the door through which the bolt extends.

Each of the hinges 12 and 13 comprises a pin 20, a jaw 21, and a support 22. The pin 20 is mounted on the ends of the channel sides 14b and is engaged by a groove 23 formed in the jaw 21. As shown in FIG. 4, the pin 20 is composed of a bolt 24, a nut 25, and a sleeve 26. The bolt 24 has a head engaging one side of the channel 14, and the nut 25 is threaded on the bolt and engages the other side of the channel. The sleeve 26 is positioned between the sides of the channel 14 and embraces the bolt 24. As shown in FIG. 1, the groove 23 of the jaw 21 engages the sleeve 26. As shown in FIG. 5, the sleeve 26 is positioned in slots 26a formed in the sides of the U of the support 22 adjacent the base of the U. As shown in FIG. 4, the support 22 is a U-shaped structure, and the sides 14b of the channel 14 engage the exteriors of the sides of the U of the support 22.

The jaw 21 lies in the support 22, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and has at one end a widened portion 27, as shown in FIG. 2. The widened portion 27, in which the groove 23 is formed, rests on a slide 28 attached within the support 22 so as to form a part thereof. When each of the hinges 12 and 13 is assembled or connected, the pin 20 thereof, as shown in FIG. 1, is held between the groove 23 in the jaw 21 and the base of the U of the support 22. The jaw 21 is held against the pin 20 by bearings 29, which, as shown in FIG. 4, are held in spaced relation within the support 22 by tubular sections 30. The tubular sections and the bearings 29 are mounted on a rod 31, which extends through them and is carried by the sides of the U of the support 22.

The support 22 is braced by a piece 32 extending be tween the sides of the U and has the base of the U secured to a block 33, which is in turn secured to a strap 34, which is secured to the exterior of the hollow body 10 and extends for an appreciable distance longitudinally thereof.

The jaw 21 of each of the hinges 12 and 13 is pivotally connected by a pin 35 to one end of a bar 36. The bar is slidably supported at the said one end on the slide 28 and is slidably retained at other regions in guides 37 and 38 secured to the strap 34. The bar 36 carries a projection 39 having a surface 40 perpendicular to the bar and a surface 41 inclined thereto. For retention of the bar 36 and the jaw 21 in the position of FIG. 2, the perpendicular surface 40 of the projection 39 is engaged by a roller 42 carried at one end of a bolt or pawl 43. The other end of the bolt has an armature (not shown) located within a solenoid 44, which, when energized, acts on the armature to move the bolt 43 upward as viewed in FIG. 2 and the roller 42 against the rod 31, so that movement of the rod 31 and jaw 21 to the right is prevented because of the engagement of the roller 42 with the perpendicular surface 40 of the projection 39. When the solenoid 44 is deenergized, a coil spring 45 moves the bolt 43 downward and the roller 42 out of the path of the projection 39, so that rightward movement of the rod 31 and jaw 21 is possible. The coil spring 45 em braces the bolt 43 and acts between a nut 46 threaded on the bolt and a bracket 47. The bracket is secured to a hanger 48 which carries the solenoid 44 and is carried by the strap 34. Rollers 49 and 50 engage opposite sides of the bolt 43 so as to guide in its longitudinal movement. As shown in FIG. 1, the roller 49 is carried on a post 51 secured to the hanger 48. Roller 50 is similarly carried on hanger 48 by a post (not shown). A retainer 52, which may be formed of a post attached to the hanger 48 and a strap attached to the post straddles the bolt 48 so as to prevent it from moving away from the hanger 48 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG, 2.

There are two solenoids 44, two springs 45, and two bolts 43, controlling two rods 31 and two jaws 21 at opposite sides of the hollow body 10, one set of parts controlling hinge 12, and the other set controlling hinge 13. When the time comes to release the door 11 from the hollow body for dumping fluid therefrom, which may be a liquid moderator the dumping of which might be used to stop a nuclear reactor on the occurrence of a dangerous condition in the reactor, the two solenoids 44 are deenergized, and the bars 36 and jaws 21 are free to move to the right. When this happens, presumably the force of the liquid in the hollow body 10 will push sufliciently against the door 11 for the channel 14 to pull the jaws 21 to the broken-line positions of FIG. 1. The widened portions 27 of the jaws 21 having moved outward of the bearings 29, the jaws 21 can pivot as shown, with the result that the hinges 12 and 13 are both released and the door 11 is completely disconnected from the hollow body 10.

For the hinges 12 and 13 both to be released, both solenoids 44 must be deenergized, both bolts 43 must be moved by their springs 45 to take the rollers 42 out of the path of the projections 39, both bars 36 and both jaws 21 must move to the right, and both jaws 21 must pivot outward to become free of the pins 20.

Of course, both hinges 12 and 13 need not be released for liquid to be dumped from the hollow body 10. It is suflicient if merely one of hinges 12 and 13 is released, for then the door 11 will swing away from the body 10 about the other unreleased hinge 12 or 13. The probability is relatively great that one of the two hinges 12 and 13 will be released, and appreciably greater than the probability that a particular one of the two hinges will be released.

Thus the arrangement of the present invention involving a door and two releasable hinges for the door provides great safety of reactor operation by virtue of the high probability that one of the two hinges will be released and so open the door. The safety provided is the same as that with two separate doors or hinges. Yet the present arrangement with the single door takes up far less space.

Let us assume that both hinges 12 and 13 have been released and the door 11 is completely free of the hollow body 10. For reattachment of the door 11 to the body 10, the jaws 21 are pushed back to the left-hand brokenline positions of FIG. 1, the door 11 is moved up so as to be supported by engagement of the channel 14 with the supports, the ends of the sides 14b of the channel 14 embracing the sides of the U of the supports 22 and the pins lying within the slots 26a in the supports, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Now the jaws 21 are pushed back to the left as viewed in FIG. 1 to engage the sleeves 26 of the pins 20. Pushing back of the jaws 21 results in pushing back of the rods 31 to the position of FIG. 2. Each projection 39 can move to the position of FIG. 2 over the roller 42 if elevated to the position of FIG. 2 by energization of the solenoid 44 because the inclined surface 41 on the projection pushes down the roller 42 against the action of the solenoid 44 and with the help of the spring 45.

If only one of the hinges 12 and 13 has been released, the door 11 is swung back about the unreleased hinge to return the pin 20 of the released hinge to the associated support 22, and then the associated jaw 21 is pushed back to reengage the pin 20.

It is understood that the invention is not to be limited by the details given herein but that it may be modified within the scope of the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An assembly comprising a circular cylindrical hollow body having an opening, a circular dumping door for closing the opening, two diametrally opposed releasable hinges having parallel axes and connecting the door to the body so as to make the door close the opening, a first means for holding one hinge against release, and a second means separate from the first means for holding the other hinge against release, each of said first means and second means comprising a bar extending along the exterior of the hollow body and having a lateral projection, a bolt extending transversely of the bar and being engageable with the lateral projection, a solenoid urging the bolt toward the bar, and a spring urging the bolt away from the bar, disabling of each of said first means and second means occurring through deenergization of the associated solenoid, whereby disabling of both means allows fluid in the body to push the door from the opening at both hinges and completely separate the door from the body, disabling of the first means only allows fluid in the body to push the door away from the body at the said one hinge and swing the door about the said other hinge, and disabling of the second means only allows fluid in the body to push the door away from the body at the said other hinge and swing the door about the said one hinge.

2. The assembly specified in claim 1, each of said two releasable hinges comprising a pin attached to the door, a jaw pivotally connected to the associated bar and having a groove engaging the pin, a support attached to the hollow body and slidably containing the jaw so as to make the groove of the jaw engage the pin, deenergization of the associated solenoid allowing the fluid in the hollow body to move the bar longitudinally and to make the jaw partially emerge from the hollow support and thus to pivot about its pivotal connection with the bar for release of the pin from the groove in the jaw.

3. The assembly specified in claim 2 and further comprising a channel connected to the dumping door so as to extend thereacross in spaced relation thereto, means mounting the pin of one hinge at one end of the channel, and means mounting the pin of the other hinge at the other end of the channel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,078,003 4/1937 Klein 220-57 XR 2,291,763 8/1942 Sandberg 220-57 XR 2,834,504 5/1958 Annicq 220-55 XR 3,128,901 4/1964 Agon 220-57 GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Primary Examiner. 

